Shutterfly: A Tale of Broken Memory and Blood Loss
by CandyLipsWithPoisonKiss
Summary: AU VH Roomates Izayoi&Yukari are a stripper and a working gal struggling to survive when they are witness to a brutal murder. Undercover agent Van must protect the girls without blowing his cover or getting them killed. Izayoi’s lost memories are the key
1. Wasted Days and Wasted Nights

This is the new fic I'm working on. I like it so much, and I hope you do too! Let me stay right now that there is drug use, language, and sexual references, so don't read this if you're a little kid!!! It's not for you!!! Go away! BAHH! There, I warned you, so lay off.

The plot is this: AU VH Roomates Izayoi and Yukari are a stripper and a working gal struggling just to survive when they are witness to a brutal mob murder. Undercover special agent Van Fanel must protect the girls (and his heart) without blowing his cover and getting all three of them killed. Izayoi's lost memories are they key to unlocking conspiracy that could shake the very city to its core.

This is a VERY alternate universe and is set in no where in particular, just a grimy back city alley with lots of crime.

Just to let you know, I get bored with stories easily, so I probably won't continue if I don't get much feedback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, so shut up.

Izayoi exasperatedly pulled herself up the final few steps of the stairwell that led to her apartment, angrily making notes in her head of every fire and health code violation Mr. Mugazi neglected to fix.

_Yous don't like it, then get the hell outta here_, he would say whenever she complained about the cracking plaster or grime covered hand rails while letting his enormous gut bounce as he laughed at his own idiotic joke. She knew that he stared at her when she turned on her heel and march away angrily, but she was satisfied knowing that he would never have the satisfaction of having her satisfy his statutory lust.

Now she shoved her key into the lose key hole and made sure to jingle the chain loudly. It wasn't that opening the door was difficult. In fact, the lock was so old that one good shoulder shove would make the rotting barrier give way. She just wanted to give her roommate fair warning that she was home and it was time to put away the coke or needles or get dressed and show whoever was in her bed to the fire escape.

Izayoi opened the door just a crack to make sure no one was in the living room. A broken couch, dusty night stand, old pizza boxes, cracked TV, VCR with 12:00 blinking rapidly, dirty floor, lamp with broken bulb. Everything was as usual. She swung the door all the way open and took the liberty of a noisy entrance, knowing by the quiet look of things that Yukari was probably alone. Tossing her keys on the night stand, she pulled off her shoes, letting her tired toes feel relief from the pressure of her high heels for the first time in almost ten hours.

As she passed though the hallway to her bedroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the crack mirror on the bathroom door and couldn't help but study her appearance. Her sandy brown hair was pulled tightly back after spending the night teased and piled up with a dangerous amount of hairspray. Her green eyes shone brightly in the dim light from the street lamp outside now that she had wiped off the thick globs of eyeliner and mascara Coco had applied when she first arrived at work. Her overcoat hid her low neckline blouse from embarrassing her with its millions of rows of cheap red sequins. Her faux crocodile miniskirt, however, was is full view of all her disapproving neighbors, especially the self-righteous Mrs. Sasaki, who always had a few choice words for the girls when they came home during the wee hours of the morning.

Izayoi halted at the end of the corridor, turning the knob quietly as she remembered that Yukari had stayed behind because she had the flu. "Just come in, Izzy," she heard the red-head say in a stuffy nosed voice. "I haven't slept since you left."

The other girl walked into the dirty room, adding to the clothes that littered the floor as she slipped off her work wardrobe for an old shirt and comfy shorts to sleep in. She darted under the covers and wrapped an arm around Yukari, both desperately needing each other's warmth at night ever since the heater had broken. She felt her roommate's frail frame relax against her fuller physique. Guys she danced for at the club oftentimes bought Izzy dinner, some because they felt the need to take care of her and some because they felt a need they wanted her to take care of. Men who paid $20 for a BJ in the back seat of a car, however, did not usually take it as their responsibility to keep Yukari healthy.

On top of that was a two-month-old argument they girls had had when Izayoi was chewed out by Mr. Magazi in front of several other tenets about "a couple of teenaged no good tramps who thought they were old enough to fuck total strangers but not to pay the rent on time" had almost made certain a harm winter season for Yukari. Not yet recovered from the embarrassment, Izayoi had burst into the apartment to discover Yukari doing lines with a trick. They had a screaming match there and then about the misappropriation of funds, all while the startled junkie struggled to pull up his pants and snort up a crooked line at the same time. In the end, the girls agreed only to put in their equal halves of the rent and buy clothes, toiletries, and even food on their own.

Yukari was stubborn and proud, and not even the unrelenting cold of winter could shake her resolve to keep their deal. As the temperature dropped, so did the number of customers stopping by the slender schoolgirl's turf. It seemed that the sleazy men of summer nights preferred to curl up with their wives and girlfriends on chilly evenings, and Yukari spent lonely days and weeks on a street corner in a mini dress and worn out windbreaker once the seasons changed.

Even now, after having lost 20 pounds since October, a dangerous drop for someone who usually only weighed about 110, the girl still refused to eat what Izayoi bought no matter how many goodies and favorite treats she stuffed in the fridge. Izzy often emptied out the refrigerator at the end of the week, feeding the trash can with gallons of spoiled milk, blocks of moldy cheese, and loafs of stale bread. Sometimes she could hear Yukari sneak out of the bed in the middle of the night, scrounge for change, and do her best to quietly make her way across the squeaky floor boards. In the morning there were wrappers from sticks of butter in the kitchen from the Stop-n-Shoppe a few blocks from the complex, only 48 cents for four bars of life-sustaining goodness.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Izayoi turned her back to Yukari, the deep raspy breaths a sure sign she had finally found sleep. The brunette pulled the short chain of the lamp on the floor near her side of the mattress, causing a dim dirty light to spill into the room. She pushed a black rubber spike-heeled boot off a worn green folder, felt around for a pen, and flipped over to the pages inside. Laying on her stomach, Izzy used her mouth to pull off the pen top and read the heading of the first application.

Suzi's Family Bakery

Name?

_Ummm…Izayoi…Haragashi? Yeah, that sounds good._

Position desired?

_Kitchen assistant. Or should I put waitress? No, bakeries don't have waitresses. Let's see…Kitchen assistant it is._

Experience?

_Poverty, crime, and pettiness. Yep, that about covers it. But seriously, experience, experience… Lap dances, pole dancing, serving cocktails seductively. But YuYu said only put what applies to the type of work I'm seeking. Hmmm…None._

References?

_Should I put YuYu? Maybe Mr. Kim from the club. No, I wouldn't want Mrs. Suzi to call my reference only to hear "Shake Ya Ass" in the background. I can hear that call now. "Yeah, Suzi baby, put her in something tight and I can guarantee those cooks won't be filling those donuts with no grape jelly." Eww. Mr. Kim is out. None._

Last place of employment?

_Ugh…this whole thing is against me. None._

Have any family members previously worked for Suzi family restaurants? If yes, list names as dates of employment.

Izzy paused for a moment, feeling a familiar sting in her eyes. She crumpled up the application for a life outside her rat hole of a world to the floor and let the folder fall to the floor with a _slap_. She turned on her side, back still to Yukari, and looked out he dirty window to the half moon. Wondering what it would be like to see the moon from a different bed, she toyed with the tear shaped pendant that she wore around her slender neck. Right this minute there was probably a little girl slipping into bed with her mommy and daddy because she couldn't sleep. They probably made a nice cozy space for her between them and all snuggled up together against the cold.

Izayoi felt hot tears stream sown the corners of her eyes, warming her chilled skin. She turned on her back and fingered the inscription on the gold point of her pendant. _Love you, Hitomi_. Whoever she was, Hitomi was probably sleeping in a nice warm pest-free house right now and had forgotten all about the little trinket that had been swiped from her by Izzy, probably next to the person the necklace was intended for. Maybe Hitomi had given it to her mother, or her daughter. Maybe even her husband.

_Whoever she is, she sure as hell isn't thinking about me_. Izzy turned back to YuYu, once again combing her warmth with her only friend in the world, her only family.

_Have any family members previously worked for Suzi family restaurants?_

"I wish I could remember," Izayoi said to the air that was blowing into the room from the crack in the door.


	2. Death by Murder

Yay! Another one! I really like this story, so please please please read it and actually tell me what you think! I want critique! I want constructive criticism! I want flames! So bring it all. Candy's ready for you.

Izzy sat up on the mattress and let out a long yawn as she stretched her arms up, up, up to the ceiling and her legs out toward the window. She let her body go slack for a moment while she contemplated whether to stand and face the world or fall back to bed. It was the former. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her left as she slammed the top of the old digital clock on the floor with her right. She glimpsed the time before the dim red numbers fizzled out. 8:43 AM.

"Ugh, it's the big day," she groaned aloud. She pulled herself up with much effort and dragged her lazy body to the bathroom. Yukari had left a note in orange lipstick on the full length door mirror. _Detention today_. _Meet you at Kim's tonight_. Izzy rolled her eyes and pushed her way to the shower. She cranked up the hot water and pulled off her shirt, catching a flash of her breasts in the dirty medicine cabinet mirror before bending over to slip off her underwear. She and Yukari usually fought over the bathroom in the mornings, opting more often than not to share the shower in the end. As the water heated up, she took the rare opportunity of privacy to examine herself in the mirror.

_I don't know why she still goes to school. Not like a diploma will help her wave down tricks. _

She cupped her right breast firmly, absentmindedly testing its soft squishiness with spastic squeezes.

_Maybe I'm being too cynical. Well, at least it's almost on the other side of town. I know she'd die if any of her classmates rolled up to her on the street with a wad of cash. I wonder if she'd still do it if it was someone she knew. _

She cupped the left and brought the perfect pair together, testing the limits of her cleavage.

_God, I'm so glad I dropped out. Ugh, I still remember when my old science teacher showed up at the club for his complementary birthday lap dance. At least he was a good tipper. Old Man Kim has really got to let that stupid policy go._

She turned this way and that, searching for flaws or new scars on her skin.

_I'm so glad I'm not like some of the older dancers. C-scars are not sexy. I wonder why YuYu doesn't just come dance at the club. It's not the most glamorous job, but it's warm in the winter and cool in the summer. And there's no exchange of bodily fluids allowed. _

She let go her bosoms and reached behind her to unpin her hair. The steam from the shower had fogged up the mirror. Time to hop in.

_Oh, yeah. I forgot what a disaster that is. Red heads are in high demand, but Yukari and high heels are a dangerous mix. _

She couldn't help but grin at the memory of her roommate's first and last night at Crazy Kim's Cabaret. The girl just barely got to the end of the runway with her dignity intact.

_Thank goodness she had that hot guy to break her fall._

With one foot in the tub, her eye was caught by a gleam to her left. On top of the toilet was a small silver plated credit card. Remnants of white powder clouded the edge. Izayoi stepped into the scalding hot water, hoping that today it would melt away her skin and reveal that she was really someone else.

9:54 AM

Van been staring at the ticking arms of the clock for almost two hours. He has not slept that night or during the one before. "Rest up, Fanel. It's almost time for your big day," the chief had said to him. Yeah, that had gone _real _well.

There was nothing he could do but go over the plan in his head until it was time. He would walk into the club, a seedy run down joint from what he had seen the afternoon earlier, and sit down at the bar. When Sweetie went on stage, he would move over to the right side of the runway and keep an eye on the guest of honor. Once the girl had done her thing, he would make his way backstage with a bundle of roses, escort her to a waiting limo, and get her home safe before she ever realized she needed rescuing.

The whole thing would be a walk in the park. That is, if it were not for one tiny detail the boss had left out until a few days ago. "One little rich girl runs off, gets into trouble, and they want a whole team to go picking up after her? No way. This is a one man deal, and you're just the man to handle it."

That was just fine with Van because he had left something out too. He reached over the clock and picked up a silver frame that protected a snapshot of him and a blue-eyed blonde girl enbracing in front of a snow capped ski mountain. She was tossing her head back and laughing at something the cameraman had said. "_Oh, dad, you know how much work it was just to get him to walk me to the front door. I think aisles will have to wait a few more years." _Van was looking down at her, unable to hide the grin that stole across his lips.

They had been happy back then. When he was just a junior officer eager to start his career on the force. When she was had just graduated from fashion school with a paid internship waiting for her in London. When everyone said a four year age difference was too much but neither one cared. When she was still just Millerna. When he still had his soul.

12:26 PM

Yukari shot her eyes at the giant clock in the cafeteria without picking her head up off the table. The other chairs were empty save for her backpack in the next chair, quietly waiting with her for lunch period to end.

_Izzy's right. I don't know why I keep coming back to school. All I do is sit in the back and doodle because I'm too hungry to pay attention. Then I just sit here and watch everyone eat. I guess it's just better than waiting for that creepy old guy to pick me up at the corner. Sheesh, I really should come up with some standards. _

She turned and opened her backpack, extracting a sketch pad and pencil. The thin, faint lines she scratched on the paper's flawless surface begin to give way to shapes. Circles, rectangles, and triangles appeared. Then those became faces, arms, bodies, legs, shirts, skirts, make up, shoes. Everything changed and gained meaning until she and Izayoi emerged, sitting on the old busted couch in their living room.

_Jesus, how did this happen to us, Iz? When I found you, I thought we'd get each other out of this mess, away from that smutty dump. Now we've got both feet knee-deep in this thing._

A tear dripped off the end of her chin and smeared the arm of the sofa's jungle vine design.

_At least if we gotta be here, we'll be the best of the worst. God, I hope my audition with Mr. Kim goes over good. No more trickin' in backseats behind the Stop-n-Shoppe if I can pull tonight off without a hitch. Pfft. I guess that means I'll be street walking all my life…_

A sharp tone interrupted her thoughts and her schoolmates began shuffling out of the large room, inattentively dumping their uneaten food in the garbage bins as they chatted and laughed with friends on their way to their next class.

Yukari made sure that everyone was gone before she gathered her things rose from her seat. There was only a five minute break between the time the bell rang and when the cafeteria workers came in to clean. She walked over the trash can and looked inside.

Yukari couldn't believe her luck! There was an almost whole ham and cheese sandwich right on top of the heap. She grabbed it and stuffed on top of her sketch pad just as a loud boom made her jump half way out of her skin. She spun around quickly.

"What are you doing, young lady?" a stern voice said accusingly. The janitor had let the heavy door slam behind him.

"I, uh…my…thing, what's it called? I left it on my tray."

"Your retainer?"

"Yes! Uh, yeah. My retainer."

She rushed out without looking up at the man. If she had, she wouldn't have been able to stop herself from crying.

_I'm sorry, dad_, she thought as she looked back at the tall white doors. _I'll try to hurry up next time._

Yukari rushed past her history class to the exit near the front office.

2:19 PM

"Yo, Mr. Kim, where d'ya want the bird cage?"

"Don't hook it up until Shou gets here. Just put it next to the DJ booth."

"Why not?"

"Cause if I leave it up to you and the rest of those losers, Sweetie's gonna be flying straight through the floor."

A disgruntled Keiji groaned in frustration and carted the seven foot tall golden cage to the back of the club.

"Kids these days…" Mr. Kim grumbled to himself, slamming the door to his office. He plopped down in the chair behind his desk and ran a tired hand through his thinning gray hair. "I'm gettin' too old for this," he said as he looked down at the headline of the newspaper spread out before him.

SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING SOCIALITE - Police find no leads in relation to alleged kidnapping of local politician's daughter.

"I got a lead for you," Kim said to the picture of a police man questioning Millerna Aston's mother at their home while her only remaining daughter comforted her with a protective half hug. "Damn it, Therese, you and Grava don't deserve this. Since Marlene passed on and now with Millie gone, Eries is all you've got left. It shouldn't be this way for you."

He thought back to his meeting with the greedy son of a bitch who had started this cycle of grief. He'd found Millerna, but luckily he still didn't know anything about Hitomi. Her family had been on the front page of the same newspaper the Astons were on today. Expect in their picture, the young Mamoru had been sitting with his mother in Hitomi's empty bedroom, her rows of athletic and academic trophies lining the bookshelf in the background as the pair flipped through a photo album of their last family vacation.

It was amazing what the desire for money could do to a man, even as good man as Vilencio had once been. When he had first been elected, life in the city improved greatly. Hospitals were built, schools were given more funding, soup kitchens were opened, and businesses flourished. _He said he could handle the Mulos, but now he's just as much a part of them as Corbin,_ Mr. Kim thought as he let out a defeated sigh. He skimmed through the article, already knowing most of what it would say.

"The girl was the daughter of Grava Aston, a strong candidate for mayor against the current office holder…believed to have no connection to Mayor Vilencio…was said to have a wild personality…seen partying at a local club the night of her disappearance…thought by police to be drug related…do not believe Mulo involvement played a role…no leads at this time…"

Kim stopped there. _Maybe there's not much left I can do for Millie, but damn it, I owe it to Hitomi to keep her away from those scum bags as long as I can. At least until the feds get their shit together. _

"Keiji," he spoke into the walkie-talkie that rested on his left shoulder.

"Yeah, Mr. Kim?"

"Remember those trap doors on the stage that we used to use when this place was a theater? Get all the crap stored down there out and grease up the gears."

"Right, boss. Me and Shou will get it done as soon as he gets here."

"No, you do it yourself. And don't tell nobody. It ain't yous guys' job to be critiquing my decisions."

"But, boss, the show's tonight! How am I supposed to get all that shit out and stored away by myself? The runway's gonna look like hell!"

"I don't pay you to worry, I pay you to do what I tell you to do. Just get on it. There'll be a bonus if you keep your mouth shut and work."

"Yeah, alright, Mr. Kim. I'll take care of it. Over and out."

The man behind the desk leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. He squeezed his lids tight, no longer reluctant to let the salty tears escape. He opened his eyes again and dabbed his face with a handkerchief. The lunch hour rush would be heading in for the free buffet. He may have been having a stressful week what with the lives of two young girls resting in his hands, but he still had a strip club to manage.

5:59 PM

Sweetie DeVinyl held on tight to a rusty water pipe backstage at Crazy Kim's Cabaret as an exhausted Miss Kitty had one foot planted firmly on the small of her back and both arms pulling determinedly at the laces of her corset.

"Umpff…uh, Kitty, ahhouch! It won't get any tighterrrrahhhhahhah!" The poor young Sweetie was not handling the crushing pressure on her ribs well. "Uhhh! Yeouuuch! Kit, please!" she screamed as she leaned more and more on the water pipe, waves of panic setting in as dark spots invaded her vision.

"I think you're right," the over zealous stripper said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

"But damn you don't look great. Good luck tonight, hun. Only four more hours 'til the big bang," she said with a wink of her fake eyelash and slinked off in her teeny tiny cocktail dress.

_I think she really means it. _Sweetie walked barefooted over to her dressing table and took a look in the mirror. She looked like an old fashioned pin up girl with a lifted bosom, dangerously small waist, and hips that could put a dent in a steel plate. _Good thing I held off on the make up. My mascara would be in worse shape than a sad goth kid's. Okay, beauty is pain. Just get over it, girl. _

She slipped into her old bunny slippers and attempted to sit on the stool, keeping in mind that because of her dress she had lost her ability to bend at the waist.

Her graceful hands sorted through the drug store make up, picking out globby solid eye shadows and a silver glitter stick. Once that was applied, she picked up a dried out stick of cherry red lipstick and spread a crusty coat of the crimson sludge over her delicate mouth. Last was a dramatic splash of rouge on either cheek.

Sweetie examined her work, making sure that not an inch of skin was without some sort of cosmetics. Her gaze drifted across the mirror from the top of her pink faux leather corset to the curve of her delicate neck and up the sharp turn of her jaw bone until she was staring herself dead in the eye.

She felt her throat tighten and the air leave her lungs. She sucked in a staggered breath while reaching for a tissue, determined to prevent water damage to her painted face.

8:36 PM

"Ladies, come one, wake up! It's like a freaking morgue back here!" Coco, a six-foot two-inch cross dressing stage manager, stormed through the back stage hallway in a frenzied stride. "I need more girls out on stage. Those poles aren't going to dance on themselves."

"Coco, Sheena can't find her patriotic bikini top," someone shouted as she passed by. It was Loorae, a waitress/privet dancer who was currently taking rollers out a topless Sheena's hair.

"Just throw her in some pasties and shove her out on stage," Coco continued her stomp though the tangle of half naked girls, searching for dancers ready who were ready to head out on the runway. "I don't care what you're dressed in or as. I just want girls out there!" Her two-foot blonde wig shook with every determined step.

She turned the a corner into the principle girls' dressing rooms and swung the first door open.

"Hello, ladies. Are my pretty little protégés ready for their big night in the spotlight?" she bent over and enthusiastically pinched the cheeks of the girl sitting in front of the vanity.

"Almost, Coco," Izayoi said, unable to hide the huge grin the other brought other face. She put down the make up brush and turned to Coco, who was making herself comfortable on the old fashioned couch against the opposite wall. "But where is this supposed to go?" She picked up a yellow cone and dangled it out to woman across from her.

"It's your beak, child," Coco held it on over her nose. "You're a blue jay who gives BJs."

"Hey, Iz, does this top goes like -- whoah -- like AHH!!" Yukari stumbled out from behind a privacy screen and onto her butt. She was a puddle of pink lace and stilettos. "Oh. Hi, Coco," she said once she regained her composure.

"Hello, Yukari," she rolled her eyes as a compliment to her sarcastic greeting.

"Actually, that's the skirt," Izzy stood up and lent a hand to her friend. She readjusted the small piece of fabric around her waist. "Umm, just keep practicing with the heels."

The red-faced Yukari shuffled off behind the screen again to change. "Okay, I'll be another minute, then."

Once she had gone from site, Coco began her angry rant. "Why is she here? Does Mr. Kim _want_ a wrongful injury lawsuit on his hands? _Again?_"

Izayoi let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, I'm just trying to get her off the street. It's dangerous out there."

"It's about to get a lot more dangerous in here if you let her out on that stage in any shoe higher that a flat."

"Coco, she want to change. She want a better life. All she needs is a chance," Izzy looked at the other with sorrowful doe eyes. "I don't know where I'd be if _I_ hadn't been given a chance to prove myself by someone."

She plopped down next to her friend. "Someone kind and generous and wise and--"

"Alright, kid, fine," Coco stood up and threw her hands in the air. "I'll give her a chance." She walked over to the door.

"Yay! You won't regret it. I promise." Izzy made a cross over her heart.

"Whatever. Remember to check up on Sweetie in a few minutes, kay?"

"Kay."

Coco blew a kiss before gently shutting the door.

9:22 PM

There was a soft knock followed by "Are you decent?" Not that it mattered. All the girls had seen each other nude at one time or another.

"Come on in, Iz." Sweetie hurriedly dabbed at her eyes, not wanting cause a scene with her tears.

Izayoi shut the door behind her and examined the room. Usually keeping her privet room bright and clean, Sweetie had turned down all the lights and lit a few candles. Even in the shadows it was easy to see the clothes and other various object strewn about the floor.

"Sweetness, what's going on here?" She sat beside the tearful dancer on the daybed she was stretched out on.

That opened the floodgates.

"Oh, Izzy, I can't do this." She sobbed in Izayoi's arms. "I was just putting on my make up and I started thinking of when I was little and I got into my mother's bathroom. I smeared lipstick on and eye shadow and all sorts of creams all over the place." She smiled through her sniffles. "When my mom walked in, I thought I was in for it. But she cleaned up the powder and showed me how to use what. Then she told me I didn't need make up because I was a beautiful little princehehhehhss. Uhhhauuuuhhh…" Her shoulders shook and she struggled to control herself. She looked at Izzy, desperation and grief shining in her eyes. "I wish I was home now. I just want to go home…"

"Shhhh," Izzy gathered her in her arms. "You _can_ go home. Mr. Kim's not cruel like the others. I bet he'll even help you. Get you a train ticket and all that." She brushed back Sweetie's hair, trying not to disturb a toy bird.

"No, you don't understand," she was growing increasingly upset, almost to the point of shouting. "I can't! I wish I could, but I can't! They won't let me. They'll hurt my mom and my dad. They won't let me…"

She was crying out loud now. _Very_ loud. She let herself slide onto the floor and hugged herself, rocking back and forth slowly. Izzy could hear people outside the door. Heels clicked on the floor and dresses rustled. Someone shouted for Coco.

"I'll never go home…never…"

9:30 PM

"Remember, at the end we have to go back to the main stage, stand on the marks, and let ourselves fall thorough the trap doors."

"Yes, I remember, now shut up. This lip paint won't some off once it hits skin."

"Bleh. Meh meh blah blee bleu mei mei blah --"

"Shut _up_!" Izzy couldn't help but laugh at YuYu, her silliness being so rare nowadays.

When she switched to applying blush, Yukari took the opportunity to become her usual chatty self. "Why did Mr. Km change the routine at the last second? Doesn't make much sense to me."

"It dusnt ha to," Izzy said with a compact in her mouth as she smeared rouge on YuYu's flawless cheeks. She dropped it into her hand and powdered to sponge. "Whatever he says goes. Besides it's not really that big a deal. Kinda makes for a bigger finish, don't you think?"

"I guess. Who is this big deal for anyway? I mean, you guys don't put on huge productions like this every day of the week, right?"

"Nah. Some big shot rented out the club for tonight. We get a thousand guaranteed."

"Holy shit! You didn't tell me _that_."

"I just found out when I was leaving Sweetie's room."

"Is she alright?"

"I think so. Just a little freaked out."

"Must be all this pressure. Kiki told me that she's really new, but she used to be a classically trained dancer or something. Wonder how she wound up here."

"And…done. You're all set." Izayoi spun Yukari around in the chair so she could look at her completed costume.

"Oh my God, it's beautiful." Her red hair was piled high and falsely messy with a toy bird's nest pinned on top. Bright red make up faded from her cheeks into her yellow half-pyramid beak. The small pink blouse barely covered her chest. To tie it all together was a matching mini skirt and perfectly dyed stilettos.

Yukari smiled widely and looked up at Izzy. "Things are gonna get better, aren't they?"

Izzy leaned over to give her friend a warm hug. She looked into her face thought the mirror. "Yeah, I think so. I really do."

9:54 PM

Van found an empty table near the runway. It was a stroke of good luck considering the club was packed to the limit. He had not trouble getting in, though. Mr. Kim had made sure he was let in the back way. _The owner of this strip club is more helpful than my commanding officer. _

He had gone over the situations in his head a million times, turning it over and over like a gem, looking for any flaws or kinks. There were none as long as his second target acted as he'd predicted, but with Corbin it was hard to foresee. He might send a decoy or a hitman. He might just not even show up and opt to burn the club down. No one was sitting at the large table labeled "reserved", but that could change at any time.

Before Van had a chance to worry about the possibility of sneak attacks, the lights dimmed and booming music started.

"Gentlemen," the DJ started, "put your hands together for a very special guest tonight…"

The noise from the stereo faded into the background for Van as a giant birdcage was lowered from the ceiling. His heart sped up, threatening to stop altogether. Could he handle seeing her like this? Wearing nothing but a smile for all these men to see?

He didn't have a choice in this case as the cage hit the stage and a blur of sparkles and sequins strutted out onto the runway.

"…SWEETIE DEVYNLE!"

10:26 PM

Izayoi couldn't believe how well everything was going. She had never been a dancer like this before, but she could feel every step, every slide, every stomp of her feet fall into perfect alignment with the music.

_Almost done_. The music tempo sped up. She, Sweetie, and Yukari twirled back onto the main stage. The song began winding down. _This is it. _The adrenaline pumped through her body as she did a final cartwheel onto her mark and stood up perfectly poised. Smoke bombs went up and the trap doors opened. _Here we go_.

She landed on a soft bed of foam. Even through the cheering and music above she could hear YuYu and Sweetie giggling and screaming.

"Oh my God! That was amazing!" Yukari yelled out.

"You guys were great!" Sweetie shouted.

Izayoi tried to say something, anything, but she couldn't catch her breath. The longer she struggled, the more panicked she became. She grasped at her throat. Something's not right.

"Hey, Izzy, are you okay?" Sweetie's voice had a note of obvious concern.

As Izzy turned to look over at her, a flash of movement from the stage above caught her attention. The flashes of lighting from the gun were the last thing she saw before everything went black.


	3. The Hospital: Life in the Balance

YAY! Finally done! I'm glad that this story is constantly moving forward, even without me at times! I'm not wasting any space. Review, guys. It's been a while, so tell me how've you been. How do you like the story now? The characters? The plot? It's all you, baby!

Also, my original document was too big, I guess, so I'll have to upload this one is sections.

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, damn it! Stop rubbing it in…

**

* * *

**

Yukari pulled the plastic window blind aside and peered out the dirty glass to the crowd below. The shooting at Crazy Kim's Cabaret had caused quite a stir in a community that usually wouldn't give a damn whether or not another working girl met her demise at the end of a bullet.

_This is fucking crazy. What makes us so special?_

She closed the curtain and sat down on the empty hospital bed, not knowing what to do. _I hate being so useless. I wish I could do something to help you, Izzy. But you're strong. I know you can make it through this._

She stood up again and looked at the clock as she moved to Izayoi's bedside. 3:37 PM. Visiting time would be over in less than an hour and a half. She would be back at the apartment while who-knows-what would be going on in the hospital.

_What if she dies while I'm gone?_

Yukari pulled up a plastic blue chair next to her motionless friend. She took in the image of the girl before her, pale and sickly with thin tubes sticking out of her body, a shell of the girl who was trapped inside.

Yukari wiped a tear from her eye as she flashed back to the events that ended with Izayoi hooked up to all these machines. She, Izzy, and Sweetie had gone through their routine without incident. Almost as soon as they had finished, landing safely on the foam mats beneath the stage, the shooting started. The man who was pulling the trigger had positioned himself directly above Sweetie. She didn't even have time to scream.

"Hello?" A man's voice startled her out of her daze.

"Ahh, Jesus!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you, m'am."

Yukari turned to find the source of the apology. It was the guy from the club who had called the ambulance. He seemed reluctant to go all the way inside the room.

"No, not at all," she said with a smile. "I mean, you didn't. Scare me, that is." _Oh my **God**, he's gorgeous. gasp No, BAD Yukari! Don't ogle at the hot guy while you're best friend is in what could be a coma. Damn, Izzy, wake up! You're gonna kick yourself for missing out._

"I thought that if you were still, you might want some coffee," Van said.

"Oh, I would, but," she looked back at Izayoi, "I couldn't leave her."

He opened his mouth to tell her that the girl in the hospital bed probably wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, but then he reconsidered. The concern in her eyes reminded him of someone.

"Why don't I bring you a cup? There's a machine in the nurses' lounge."

"Sure, that would be great."

"Alright," he left.

Yukari waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps and bolted to the mirror in the small bathroom adjoining the sickroom. She flicked on the florescent light and reached into the purse she'd left on the counter. She gave her red hair a quick brushing, splashed some water on her face, and glossed her lips.

She stepped back into the main room and glanced over at the sleeping Izayoi. Guilt pooled at the pit of her stomach.

"I'm sorry Iz. Guess I just got a little excited to talk to a guy who wasn't waving a $10 in my face."

She plopped down again into the chair. "That's guy who saved our sorry asses last night, and he's actually pretty cute."

Izzy remained silent.

"I guess not all men a worthless pigs," she said.

"Thanks," Van strolled cooling toward her and handed her a small styrofoam cup filled to the brim with steaming coffee. "Hope you like sugar." He turned back to the exit.

"Wait, why don't you, like, stay and sit. We could…sit…together," she stuttered. _Oh, God, am I **really** this desperate for human contact?_

"Uh, sure, why not?" He grabbed a brown aluminum chair from against the wall and planted himself about three feet from Yukari. "So…"

"Have you been here all day?"

"No, I went back home last night. The doctors wouldn't let me stay unless I was a relative. I came back about an hour ago."

"Oh, are you a friend of Sweetie's?"

Van didn't know what to say. "Well, I'm kind of…"

"It's okay. It's none of my business."

Van nodded, accepting her withdrawal of the question.

"Yeah, they let me stay overnight to make sure I didn't have anything show up later. Like a fracture or something."

"Oh, good. That's good…"

"So…," she echoed, desperate to break the awkwardness of having drinks with a total stranger in the company of an unconscious girl. She took a sip from her cup. "Mmm, that's perfect. How did you know I like sugar?"

"Well, I just figured that by the looks of you you're still pretty young, so you like anything sweet, you have cigarette stains on your fingers, which means you're probably addicted to caffeine along with nicotine, and you work in Red Block, probably don't make too much money, so anything you normally eat is loaded with sugar already."

"Wow," Yukari was taken slightly aback and somewhat offended by his perceptiveness. She had been willing to be open and friendly at first, largely because she was feeling vulnerable, but now she closed herself off a little, sitting back in her chair and crossing her legs. "Harsh but true. Are you some kind of genius or something?"

"No, just someone who uses common sense." He took a sip of his coffee, black. He looked at Izayoi's sleeping form. "Aren't you guys kind of young to be working at a strip club?"

"Well, when you don't have a high school diploma, parents, or job experience, you just sort of do what you have to."

"Neither of you finished high school?"

Yukari mentally winced at the mixture of shock and disdain in his voice. "I still go. Um, I'll be done this May, but Izzy gave up on it a while back."

"Why didn't you just drag her along with you? Isn't that part of what they teach? Not to let your friends drop out?"

"Actually, I met her after she stopped going."

"Then how did you guys meet? Oh, at the club?"

"No. She worked there before I did. Yesterday was my first night."

"Hell of a way to kick off your career."

"Yeah…"

Van had been looking around the room, but he turned his attention back to Yukari when she didn't continue. She had her head down, trying to wipe her tears before they stained her cheeks. _Jesus, you really did it this time. Her friend is circling the drain, and you're making wise cracks._

"I'm sorry," he took a tissue from a sterile hospital-brand box and offered it to her. "I didn't mean to do that."

"No, it's fine," she took the tissue and dabbed at her eyes. "I just…I'm just a little emotional."

"I'm Van, by the way."

She smiled. "Yukari. And Sleeping Beauty over there usually goes by Izayoi." She downed the last of her coffee and tossed the empty cup into a small trash can. "So, Van, would you happen to know what happened last night? Who the hell that guy was? I tried to talk to a few cops earlier in the lobby, but none of them seemed to know anything."

"Yeah, they're doing an investigation right now. So far, I know that they haven't caught the guy, have no idea who he was or what he wanted, and have no leads."

"Not surprising. Those fucking assholes don't give a damn about anything that goes down in Red Block."

_Probably not a good idea to mention I'm a cop just yet. _"Well, it's a pretty high profile case."

Yukari's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean by that? How is this 'high profile?'"

Van matched her bewilderment with his own. "Because of Millerna. Now that she's been reunited with her family, Grava Aston has started--"

"Wait a sec. Who's Millerna? Are we talking about the same thing, here?"

"You know, Millerna Aston. The socialite?"

Yukari shook her head.

"The youngest daughter of Grava Aston, one of the leading political contenders for mayor this coming election?"

"I guess…"

"Don't you keep up with these sort of things? They're kind of important."

"No. I'm usually kind of busy scraping enough money to keep from getting kicked out of my apartment and keeping the water on. Not like I'm old enough to vote anyway."

"Are you serious? How old _are_ you?"

"Seventeen. Iz is 18, we live on Cordelia Street in the Red Rose Apartments, before last night I was a hooker up and down 49th and Mile Road, we both have type O negative blood, and we currently have a combined total of $23.07 in the bank. Now is there anything else you'd like to know about me, or can we please, _please,_ _PLEASE_ get back to what the hell Millerna has to do with Sweetie and Izayoi getting pumped full of lead?!

Yukari's face was red and hot, and her breathing grew erratic. "Excuse me."

_Crap, what did I do now? _Van thought. _Real sensitive, Van. Did we already forget that the girl laying there in the hospital bed is what Yukari is most concerned about right now?_

She launched into the bathroom and dug frantically into her purse, producing an asthma inhaler. After a few puffs, she sat back down with Van and calmed herself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. I just get a little huffy when I'm excited."

"No, I really shouldn't have said that. I don't even know you, and I'm trying to pass judgment? That's not fair. Especially since you can't even get mad at me without your lungs going insane."

Yukari smiled, the first genuine smile she gave all day. "Did you just make a joke?"

Van replied with a smile of his own. "Sort of."

"Well, you can make it up to me by telling me everything you know about last night."

* * *

"Don't think you're out of the woods yet, Aston. If you even think about entering the race, we'll have to send someone out there to finish the job." 

A click and the line was dead.

Grava Aston put the phone back on the receiver. He leaned back in the leather chair and looked around his law firm office. The books, statues, various works of art, certificates, were all perfectly arraigned and in order. The attorney himself was sharply dressed; his suite pressed, shoes shines, and mustache neatly trimmed. No one could have guessed by the look of it what a mess he was on the inside.

He picked up a silver framed photo of his family during their summer trip to a water-front resort. Everyone was smiling as they posed in front of an vase of tropical flowers in their suite. On the left side of the picture was Millerna grinningly widely with one arm thrown around her mother's sunburned shoulders.

He had lost his little girl, and now that she was back, would he risk her life again? For what? An ungrateful city full of sinners and murderers? Corbin had proven that he always made good on his word.

Grava continued to look at the sunny photo. How many families had waited up all night for their daughters to return home these past few years, only for the sun to rise on an empty bed and weeping parents?

_I can't let him run me like he runs this city. I know what I have to do._

* * *

"You're shittin' me," she said with a gawking mouth. 

Over the past half hour or so, Van had grown to have an appreciation for Yukari's somewhat vulgar charms. "No, I swear to God." He raised his right hand as he spoke.

"Oh my God, so then why doesn't someone just come out and say it?"

"Because there's no proof whatsoever. No physical way to make a connection. It's just a theory, and do you really think he'd let an investigation that could tarnish his name just happen like that?"

"I guess not. But why?"

"That's another problem. There's no known higher motive. Plus, he's gotten the majority vote by a landslide the last couple years running, so not even _that _could really be used against him."

Yukari breathed out heavily, mentally weary from her crash course in politics. She started her next question slowly, scared of the answer. "Do you think maybe me and Iz, since we were there, that we could--"

"Yukari, I didn't mean to scare you. You're not involved in any of this."

"Well, this cop tried to come in earlier to talk, but I pretended I was asleep. They're not thought of too highly where I'm from. Maybe I should have. Just to let them know that I didn't know anything."

"Don't worry. I'm sure--"

Van was interrupted by a screaming alarm.

"Sweet Jesus, what now?" Yukari was already high strung and ready to go into a panic.

"No, it's just my phone, see?" He shut off the ringer. "I'm so sorry," the apology repeated itself on every inch of his concerned face, "but I really need to take this. I'll step outside."

When he was gone, Yukari got up from her seat and kneeled next to Izzy's bedside.

"God, I know that I haven't really done too much to deserve your help, but things are getting bad. I can feel it. No matter how far I run or how hard I try to disappear, trouble finds me, and every time it finds me it gets bigger and bigger. But I'm not the only one it's coming after now. I've got a sister, someone who really cares about whether or not I'm alive, and it's my stupid selfishness that got her here in this bed. I promise you, God, if you just save her, I'll take back every sin and bad thing I've ever, ever done and make it right." Her face was streaming with tears and her shoulders shook. "Please, just give me my friend back."

Almost as if a sign from above, Izzy breathed in heavily, and exhaled a shakily.

"Oh, thank you, Lord."

Then every machine and sensor went crazy.


	4. The Hospital: In the Wake of a Dream

Here's installment number two!

* * *

"Wake up. Wake up, baby." A sweet voice floated into Hitomi's mind. It's owner shook her shoulder gently. She opened her eyes. "_There_ you are. Come on, lazy girl. Wouldn't want to waste this beautiful day in bed, would you?" A middle-aged woman with short brown hair and a kind smile stood over her. "Breakfast'll be ready in a few minutes." She left the room.

Hitomi sat up in her bed. The vanity mirror was decorated with pictures of various friends in silly poses at the mall, an amusement park, a dance hall, the movie theater, and a few other places. A bookshelf against the wall was cluttered with trophies, both athletic and academic. She smiled to herself and stretched her long limbs, letting out a satisfied yawn. It was good to be home.

* * *

Izayoi struggled to open her eyes, momentarily blinded by the white light that was reflected off of every surface in the sterile hospital room. The muscles in her body felt like they were being peeled off the bone, and pain shot through her like waves of hot electricity. She moaned as wakefulness made her aware of the torturous agony that afflicted her brain. The sensation of her own blood flow felt like lava was being forced through her body.

_Am I dead? If I'm not, God, please just end it now._

"Izzy? Oh sweet Jesus, you're alive, _you're alive!_"

Izayoi's ears throbbed at the high pitched scream. Yukari's common sense was eclipsed by her joy, and she leaned over the plastic railing to embrace the suffering patient with a relieved hug. The pain nearly made Izzy pass out.

"AHHH!"

"Oh my God, I'm sorry," Yukari apologized. She whispered, "I'm so sorry, girl." She took Izzy's hand and gave a gentle squeeze. Tears glittered in her eyes. "I'm just so glad you're awake."

Izzy managed a weak smile and hoped that she didn't look pained. "Glad to be here." She tried to use her free hand to push her torso up into a sitting position, only to be slammed down by a wave of excruciating pain and nausea.

"No, no, no. Don't. You'll tear your stitches." Yukari helped Izayoi settle down again and felt her stomach turn at the other's expression of suffering.

"God," Izzy struggled to ignore the aching that seeped from every inch of her body. "What stitches? What happened to me?"

Yukari sat beside her on the bed, tucking a strand of hair behind Izayoi's ear. She saw that the long sequined earring she had been wearing on stage was gone and her earlobe was torn; she decided not to mention it for the time being.

"Back at the club. You don't remember?" Iz shook her head 'no.' "Okay, then let's start with what you _do_ remember."

Izzy thought back, sorting through broken images to figure out which was the last. "We were on the stage, the trap doors gave, we fell through but we were still okay, and then…everything was black and red and just…pain. Then nothing. What happened? Wait, what about Sweetie?" She looked around the room. "Is she alright?"

Yukari took in a deep breath. She didn't want to start crying again. _How say this? Izzy's been through enough already without having to comfort me, too._ "Iz, she…There was this guy. He had a gun. He shot at us through the trap door. You and Sweetie got hit, but the bullet didn't do any major damage to you. It was a ricochet. You lost a lot of blood, but the doctor said you'll recover just fine." She reached to her side and produced a little crumpled slip of paper from her pocket, straining her eyes to make out the marking scratched across the folds. "And he gave me this ticket for you: one all expenses paid trip to Vicodin Land. We'll have a grand old time together one we get this filled."

They both laughed, and Izayoi felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She let out a long sigh.

"How are you feeling, love?" Yukari asked, handing her the prescription.

"Aside from the mind-numbing pain? Great. I was afraid you were gonna tell me I'd never walk again."

"Pfft. If that were true, we'd be doing wheelchair doughnuts in the parking lot by now. You know that I own you now?"

"Yeah, thanks for sticking by me. It really means a lot."

"You mean thanks for staying with you in this free hotel where I don't even have to go to the bathroom to piss? Please, that's not what I'm talking about. Where do you think they got most of the blood that kept you alive during surgery?"

Izzy broke out into a wide smile.

"Don't look at me like that, Iz." She pulled up her sleeve. "I've got the band aid right here to prove it."

Izzy arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe not the best proof. But the nurses can vouch for me."

"No, I believe you. It's too good not to be true."

They were silent for a moment, neither wanting to say what both were thinking but neither sure where to go from there. "Well, now that you're awake you'll probably want that bedpan back," Yukari stood. "Guess it's back to the loo for me."

"YuYu…?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we just cut the bullshit for a minute?"

Yukari threw her head back and groaned. "Okay, ya got me." She looked Izayoi in the face. "The sad truth is…your hair looks like shit."

Izzy didn't laugh. "You're only making me feel worse. Now come on. Come here." She motioned the red-head over with open arms.

Yukari sat back down next to her. "Sorry, Iz, I just didn't want to upset you." She paused before resuming the violent story. "The damn bastard hit an artery. She was hemorrhaging pretty bad, but last I heard she was stable. They've got her in the ICU."

"Do you think we could go see her? I hate to think of her there all alone."

"Well, sugar, that's real nice of you to want to do, but there are two things getting in the way of that. One: she wouldn't know if we were there because she's not awake. And number two: she's not alone, anyway."

"What, is there a nurse in there or something?"

"Nurses, doctors, surgeons, lawyers, accountants, florists, everybody in the whole damn city is in there with her."

Izayoi could tell that Yukai was getting apprehensive. Her eyes were darting around the room despite the fact that the only thing to look at was the same white concrete block on the walls a hundred times over.

"Alright, I've had enough," Izzy crossed her arms and willed her voice to be calm and steady. "I don't know what is it you're trying to protect me from, but it's gonna stop now. Yes, some seriously shit went down last night, I know that much, but now you're acting like a bomb could go off at any second when everything seems to me like it's gonna turn out okay. Getting shot up at a strip joint in the Red Block District isn't exactly the most shocking thing in the world."

"I wasn't…_trying_ to protect you. I just didn't want to make a big deal before I could figure it out," she rubbed her forehead with the tips of her fingers. "Do you remember a while back the story about that rich girl who disappeared? The one whose dad worked at city hall?"

Izayoi leaned all the way onto the stiff bed and looked up at the water-stained ceiling. She felt tired, her body begging her for sleep again. "Yeah, it's still all over the news. They never found her."

"They did last night. It's Sweetie. She's that girl."

Silence.

Izayoi opened her mouth slowly. "Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me that Sweetie DeVynle, a stripper in the most crime-ridden part of this town, is really the daughter of a high powered city official?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying. That's why I'm shitting bricks here, Izzy. Don't you see? I may not be the smartest girl, but I know that it's not every day that the daughter of someone important like that ends up working at a titty bar that just so happens to be _rented out _-- how often does _that _happen? Someone wanting to _rent out _a broken-ass strip club? -- on the same night that she just so happens to get shot? Something is seriously not adding up."

Izzy's head began to spin. She closed her eyes and tried to make sense of what Yukari had said.

"And it's not just that either. I mean, why would someone shoot up Kim's? If they wanted to rob the place, why not wait 'til it was closed? Or at least until it wasn't packed to the brim. Why they fuck would anyone want to shoot Sweetie? And for that matter, why the hell would she, actually being some kind of socialite, be at Kim's in the first place? I mean, it's not like it was amateur night. She was _working_ there. That was her _job_. I saw where she was living once, and let me tell you, it made our place look like fucking Buckingham Palace. If she was really as rich as she was supposed to be, why didn't she hop a plane to London or Paris or something? Those are defiantly better places to run away to than our neighborhood."

Izayoi kept her eyes closed. She wasn't thinking straight, but she could feel it in her bones that Yukari was right. She could feel herself start to panic.

"YuYu, have the police been here? We were right there when Sweetie was shot, so wouldn't they want some kind of a statement from us? Especially if they're working for her daddy. "

"They came once, but I pretended to be asleep in that bed next to you. And they weren't about to shake you of your coma."

"How many people are on the floor? Are we close to Sweetie's room?"

Yukari furrowed her brow, unsure of which way the conversation would turn. "No. She's on the floor below us. Why?"

Izzy didn't say anything at first. She turned her head to the left. Yukari followed her gaze to the open door of the room.

"Shut the door, YuYu."

"Why?" the other asked as she moved to comply. She peeked her head out to make sure that no one was approaching and closed the entrance. When she looked back at her friend, Izayoi was trying to hold herself up. "What are you _doing?!"_

"Shhhh! Shut up and help me get these tubes out of me." She reached for the I.V. in her arm.

Yukari rushed over and slapped Izzy's hand down. "_What the hell?! _You can't move. That hole in your shoulder is still fresh."

"Look, you're right. I don't know what's going on here, but it's not good, and if we don't leave now we're about to be caught up in the middle of it. If we can make it back home, the chances of the cops -- not to mention whoever shot up Kim's -- _not_ finding us is a whole lot better."

The girls stared into each other's eyes for a moment. They were both scared, confused, and traumatized. And they were all they had.

Yukari peeled back the white tape on Izayoi's hand and took hold of the base of the needle.

"Ready?"

Izzy nodded.

"One…two…"


	5. The Hospital: Last Call

Here's a piping hot plate of number three part of The Hospital!

* * *

"She's stable, but the doctors already found her medical records. They called Grava Aston, and the place turned into a three-ring circus about four hours ago." 

"That's great news, Fanel. I knew you could pull it off."

"But sir, I didn't do anything. She could have died, and there was nothing I could have done."

"That's besides the point. The thing is that she's alive and out of danger. Did her father thank you yet? I promise you, Fanel, you find that other broad and you'll be sitting on top of a big fat promotion."

"No, sir, no one here knows I'm on the case yet. And that's another thing I wanted to bring up with you, sir --"

"Good, good. Don't want to blow your cover until you get the other girl. I like your thinking, kid."

"Sir, if I could interrupt you for a minute, I --"

"Sure, sure, go ahead. What's on your mind?"

Van struggled to keep his cool. _Fucking moron… _"Sir, I think there's more to these disappearances than what's on the surface. At the club--"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Van breathed in deeply and exhaled. "At the club, sir, the assailant didn't fire randomly into the crowd. The girl was below the stage at the time he began shooting. He stood directly above Millerna and discharged multiple rounds --"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up. Are you actually suggesting that this was a professional hit or something? Tell me that's not what you're saying, Fanel."

"Sir, the details of this don't add up. He didn't make any demands, gave no indication that he was about to shoot. I feel that the other two girls are also still in --"

"For Crissake, do you remember where you were?! The fucking Red Block! There are all sorts of crazies and psychos wandering the streets out there. Just this morning some crack head nearly took out a priest because he was too fucking high to see he was in a church."

"Considering the high rank of the girl's father, the upcoming election, and the strange circumstances of her disappearance and attack, I think that her testimony will show that this was a deliberate--"

"Look, Fanel, you're a good guy. You got a lot of potential. I think you could really go places on the force. But if you want any of that to happen, you gotta learn to do what you're told. And here's what I'm telling you: Millerna Aston ran away because daddy wouldn't buy her another fancy car or purse or pony or whatever the fuck, I really don't care. She got in over her head, and should be thanking God that someone in that toilet actually had enough brain cells left to know how to operate a phone and call for help because some drugged up idiot thought he was robbing a bank. Got it?"

Van was too disgusted to speak at first.

"Hey, retard, I'm talking to you. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it, chief."

"Good. Now, where there any other witnesses besides the crowd of horny bastards?"

"Uh, yeah, the other two girls under the stage with her."

"Okay, I'm gonna send an investigator down there to take their statements."

"Actually, sir, someone tried that, but the doctor said--"

"Fanel, what did I say earlier about just doing what you're told, eh? Now, I'm gonna send an investigator down there, get this thing looking like we actually give a damn, and I want you to get stared looking for that Kanzaki chick. And be discreet. If you can pull this off without making a mess, I promise you'll get yours. Got it?"

"Yeah, chief. I got it."

The line went dead.

_Jesus Christ, what a bastard. Well, I wanna at least go check up on those other girls before I leave. There's no way I'd be able to see Millerna at this point. I guess I'll call her father later and see if he'll let me visit._

Van flipped his phone shut and walked toward the elevator. He caught a glimpse outside the lobby window as he pressed the up button and couldn't believe what a mob scene the press had become. Security had finally managed to barricade the front doors, allowing only patients to enter, but that hadn't stopped all of them. One reporter strapped on a pregnant belly and pretended to be going into labor. The broadcast-quality video camera the "proud father" was using to film her gave them away. The rest of them demanded updates of Millerna's condition every fifteen minutes.

_Doesn't her family deserve a little peace? _The elevator dinged and opened. Van stepped in alongside a male nurse who looked a little rough to be wearing teddy bear scrubs.

"What floor?" Van asked.

"Three."

Van pressed three and then four for himself. He stood back and looked the nurse up and down, noticing the unseemly tattoos on his arms. One on his upper arm was the lower half of a naked woman. Her torso was covered by the light-blue sleeve. His lower arm had a skull with a serpent slithering through the empty sockets.

"They don't make you cover those up for the kids?"

Tough Nurse looked put off by his comment. "I work with the grown ups."

He obviously wasn't in the mood for conversation.

The elevator stopped on the third floor. Tough Nurse stepped out and headed for the corridor that led to Millerna's room. Van looked down at the row of numbered buttons to his right, searching for the "close doors" switch. He raised his head in time to catch a glimpse of the X tattoo on the back of Tough Nurse's neck just as he turned the corner and the elevator closed.

* * *

Mr. Kim looked over his club as he waited for the cop to write down his response and ask another meaningless question. Police officers had been there all afternoon turning over broken tables, sifting through the backstage dressing rooms, tearing apart his office, and being useless overall. He had seen plenty of crime scene investigations during his life. In the Red Block District they were usually half-assed, but this one was just flat out worthless. No evidence had been collected, only a few pictures snapped with a disposable camera, and he had been the only person interviewed. The fuzz had even let his boys start cleaning up the mess. They were going out of their way to not find anything at all. It was just a show for the camera crews outside. 

"And who was working at the time of the shooting?" The officer didn't even attempt to act remotely interested.

"A few security guards at the door, the regular girls, and my work men, Shou and Keiji."

"Uh-huh."

_Damn, they're not even trying to look legit. Care to ask for names, genius? _"Shou's right over there at the DJ booth, but I haven't seen Keiji since last night around 10:00 PM, when the dancers went on stage," he hinted.

"Yeah." The officer scribbled something down on his note pad. "Well, Mr. Kim, thank you for your cooperation. We won't be needing anything more from you, so you have our permission to finish cleaning up the rest of your, uh…establishment."

"Glad to be of help, officer. Call me if you need anything at all, day or night."

"I don't think that'll be happening. Oh, and please remember that you are under court order not to speak to the press about this until the investigation is closed. " He looked over at fat cop who was kicking around some broken glass. "Hey, Larry, let's get outta here."

"Finally!"

He tipped his hat at Mr. Kim. "Be seein' ya," he said with an arrogant smirk.

The pair headed for the front door, which had been torn off its hinges and smashed by a panicked mob.

Kim watched them leave and then went to his office to survey the damage. Papers were strewn about and file cabinet drawers were left open. One of the cabinets had been pushed to the side and was supported by the wall. Even the phone cord had been ripped out.

"Some investigation," he said sarcastically to himself. He flopped into his torn chair and stared blankly at the ceiling. For the first time since everything began, he felt hopeless.

_At least Millie's with her family now. Maybe they can protect her better than I could. God damn it! I should have known that Keiji was a rat. How did I not see? And Hitomi's still out there somewhere. It'll be easier than ever for them to get to her now. If I try to get to her now, then Corbin will know for sure that I've been hiding her. But I can't just sit back and let this happen to her._

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and pressed number one speed dial.

"Hey, Shou."

"Here, boss."

"There are a couple of cops leaving the club. They should be on 42nd by now."

"Yeah?"

"Make sure they don't get back to Vilencio. They're X'd."

* * *

Van ran out of the elevator onto the forth floor. He headed straight for Yukari's room. 

_I've got to get them out of here. Millerna will be fine as long as her family's with her._

He burst into the room, earning two separate female screams. Yukari was helping Izzy into a wheelchair.

"We've got to get you out of here."

"Well, what the _fuck _does it look like we're _doing_?!" Yukari was obviously upset at his melodramatic arrival.

_So much for a quiet escape_. "Would you _please_ shut the fuck up?" he said in a harsh whisper. "The whole floor is going to hear you."

"Oh, like they wouldn't have heard your _fucking _Mission Impossible entrance."

"Can we just get the _fuck_ out of here first and finish this _fucking_ argument later? _Jesus Christ!_" Izayoi looked pained. Blood was seeping through her hospital gown where her shoulder was wounded.

The tension between everyone was beginning to take its effect. Yukari looked like she wanted to cry.

"Van, we can't take her out like this. What if she bleeds to death or something?"

"We don't really have much of a choice."

"What do you mean?" She narrowed her eyes.

"There's no time now. I'll tell you everything once we're somewhere safe."

No one moved.

"I saw a Mulo. He was headed for Millerna's room, but there's no way he's gonna get in. He'll come straight up here next."

"_Fucking god! _Let's go, then!" Yukari pushed the handles of Izzy's wheelchair, nearly running over Van as she zoomed through the door.

_Okay, we're gonna be okay. All we need to do is get to the parking garage, into my car, and we can find a safe place to hide until I can get them some help._ Van was right behind them.

The trio waited in suspense for an elevator to stop on their floor. After what seemed like an eternity, the golden doors opened like the sweet, sweet gates of a sanctuary.

The girls rushed in first as Van held open the door.

"Hey, what's Keiji doing here?" Yukari said when she turned around to the front.

Keiji was headed toward Izzy's room, but he snapped his head back when he heard Yukari's voice. His eyes went dark as he stomped toward the elevators. His face twisted in murderous lust.

Van stepped inside and frantically pushed at the 'ground floor' button. _Come on, you son of a bitch. _Keiji was only a few feet away.

As the doors closed, Keiji let out a terrifying scream for frustration. He banged on the doors as the elevator moved slowly down. Van pressed the third floor button. He touched the gun that was strapped to his right hip.

"What are you doing? Where are we going?" Yukari was trying to hide her apprehension for Izzy's sake, but it was a losing battle.

"He may not know where we're going, but we're vulnerable as long as he knows where we might show up. He won't stop on the third floor because there're too many people. We need to get to the stair well and head for the parking garage."

"But visiting hours are over," Izzy spoke with a strained voice. "It's past five o'clock."

_Shit. How did I not think of that?_

There was no time to think of a new plan. The elevator stopped and to doors slid open, exposing its passengers to the empty floor.

_Oh, thank God_, Van thought. "Come on, the stairs are right there."

Van and Yukari helped Izzy stand. She didn't have her legs back yet.

"We don't have time for this," Van said as he swept Izayoi into his arms fireman style and made his way to the stairwell.

Izzy sucked in a breath through her teeth, pain searing through her upper body.

"Sorry, girl," Van said, letting Yukari open the door.

They hurriedly ran down the steps, in danger of falling over ever second of the way down, and finally made it to the parking garage. The short winter days had chased away the sun, and the dim yellow flood lights made the silence all the more eerie.

"My car's that way," Van pointed with his chin to the far side of the level.

"Great," Yukari mumbled under her breath as she followed Van across the concrete tomb.

When they reached his sleek black car, Van and Yukari looked at each other.

"Open the door for me."

"Do I look I have the keys? It's your car."

"They're in my left front pocket."

"Excuse me?"

"If I put her down now, it'll take forever for her to get in."

Yukari reached uncertainly to his jeans.

"Come on, Yukari. We don't have much time."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes.

Yukari moved her fingers warily into his pocket, and caught the key ring between her middle and index fingers. She dared not look up for fear that Van would see how embarrassing this was for her.

"Got it." She unlocked the back door, and Van gently laid an unconscious Izayoi on the seat.

"Oh God, what happened to her?"

"I'm not sure. I think she's just exhausted. We should get her looked at."

Yukari put a hand on her hip. "Not like we can exactly take her to a hospital."

Van was growing frustrated because of her sarcasm, attitude, and most of all because she was right. "Just get in the car."

As Yukari touched the handle of the door, a blast of sound rang out and she was on the floor. Van had pushed her down. Looking up, she saw the bullet hole. "Dear Lord, save us." She was on the verge of tears.

Using the car nearest to them as a shield, Van unsheathed his gun and aimed at Keiji, who stupidly stood out in the open.

Yukari covered her ears, praying silently to herself for this to all just disappear. She heard Van let out a few rounds, a scream, and then everything was silent for a moment. She realized that her heart had stopped.

* * *

"Here you go. Drink up." 

Izzy sipped at the foul-smelling drink Yukari gave to her. She tried to force herself to swallow, but her already overexerted body wasn't having it. She waved the cup away. "Can I just have some aspirin?"

"Sure, babe." Yukari smiled warmly, trying to mask her concern.

Once she was out of the room, Izayoi shut her eyes and let herself cry. The pain in her shoulder was unceasing, and the wound was probably infected now that they were back intheir dirty apartment.

In the kitchen, Yukari mulled around the empty cabinets, looking for aspirin that she knew wasn't there. She was actually giving Izzy a moment to herself while keeping an eye on Van. He had been staring at the old TV for almost an hour, flipping back and fourth between the three receptive channels in hopes of seeing some news about themselves and whether they were being searched for by police.

"Do you want anything?" she asked from behind the bar.

He didn't answer.

Yukari finally found a crusty bottle of children's cough medicine, and went back to the bed room.

Izzy was crying, almost to the point of sobbing. There was no need for words. Yukari climbed into bed with Izayoi and the two held each other.

"Shh, get some sleep, Iz we'll figure something out in the morning." She stroked Izzy's hair and let the silence of the room give way to the sounds of the city. A dog barked off in the distance, sirens blared, the sharp sound of a trash can toppling over was followed by the screeching of a cat. Someone overhead was shouting, glass broke. The front door slammed violently.

"Was that Van?" Izzy's voice was weak.

"Let me check."

Sure enough Van's seat was empty. Yukari opened the front door and peaked her head into the hallway to see Van as he stomped down the stairs. She shut the door, uneasy at the thought of leaving the security chain off the hinge but wanting to leave a way for him to get back in. If he came back at all. She left it off.

She turned to the television and realized why he had gone.

The reporter's furrowed brow was accented by the picture of Sweetie in the corner of the screen. She was wearin a graduation cap and gown, looking like she was the happiest girl in the world. "…of acute respiratory asphyxiation while in the hospital. Millerna Aston -- dead at 21."


End file.
